During Super Bowl 47 something rather unexpected happened, the power went out during the second half. Well, half the stadium’s power went out that is, and yet, the show must go on. The game was delayed 35-minutes, the problem was fixed and the game continued, after all, it was the Super Bowl, and after a long fought season, that game had to be played. Some would say that the chances of that happening, the power going out, is next to impossible. Well, if you know anything about New Orleans, you should be too awfully surprised, I wasn’t.

Now then, let’s talk about this and how things like this happen to us all in the real world. For instance, let’s say you run a business; what do you do when things go wrong, do you immediately look for blame, huddle the team, work on the crisis, or search of opportunity in the process. How about all those things simultaneously? Interestingly enough, the San Francisco 49s had their power off so their Telex Headsets were not working, they should have huddled the team and strategized or had another half-time locker room type talk.

That’s what the Baltimore Ravens did, but let me ask you something, what would you have done in the those darkest minutes? As an entrepreneur or business leader you cannot give in or give up, you must continually perform, and be up for the challenge. Whatever it takes is what you should be doing and in any crisis you ought to look for opportunities to help your team win. If you fail to seize on such opportunities you are losing a precious resource, not only of time, but of people power too.

Speaking of power in your company, do you have a solid plan if the power goes out, the phone lines go down, your IT system fails, the Internet stops working, or some outside catastrophe prevents you from shipping or receiving products or supplies? You should have a game plan for that, and any other serious contingency. When the World Trade Center Twin Towers were under attack on September 11, 2001 one company got everyone out safely and without further incident; Oppenheimer Investment Funds. Why you ask, well, because they had a plan.

You see when the first attacks hit the Trade Tower building back many years before in the parking structure, they developed a plan. They ran that plan, that day, and they also had a secondary location ready to continue business. Can you say the same? Do you have a plan in case the power goes out in the middle of your game? Please consider all this and think on it.

All self-made millionaires work hard, hard, hard. They are addicted to hard work.

Why?

Because they know the formula for success that’s why! They know the outcome they are seeking and they know and understand that they have to work hard to get there. They know and accept the fact that making money is a formula and you have to follow the formula.

They have their dream, their goal, their plan and the desire to work hard to achieve the success they are striving for. They know that there is no such thing as becoming a Self Made Millionaire overnight! (Even if you had a money tree in the back garden:)

They know that if they want to turn their dreams into reality ~ then it’s up to them to make it happen!

These are the people that have the desire, the dedication and the discipline to learn the skill sets and they take massive action to get the results.

Ask any “Overnight Success Story” ~ HOW THEY MADE THEIR MILLIONS and HOW THEY BECAME AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS STORY!

We have to get real here….and all Self Made Millionaires will tell you exactly the same thing…they worked long and hard, and usually you will find that they have been quietly working away, burning the midnight oil, learning the skill sets, honing their skill sets and usually taking a few, if not many years to actually become the “Overnight Success Story” they are portrayed to be. They developed a workaholic mentality.

Self Made Millionaires are just that…Self Made Millionaires!

What a Self Made Millionaire is not:

* NOT one of the lucky few who win the Lottery
* NOT born with a silver spoon in their mouth and inherits the family fortune
* A Struggling for cash EMPLOYEE

What a Self Made Millionaire does

* Starts earlier
* Works harder
* Stays later

They develop the reputation for being amongst the hardest working people in their fields, and everybody knows it. They know and practice the 40+ formula. This formula says that you work 40 hours per week for survival. Everything over 40 hours is for success. If you only work 40 hours, and the average work week today is closer to 35 hours, all you will ever do is survive.

It’s virtually impossible to get ahead and even more impossible to be a big financial success. You’ll never be highly respected and esteemed by your colleagues. You will always be mediocre if you just work the basic 40 hour week. Now this may sound a bit on the harsh side, but you know it’s true.

If you are like 95% of families then you are probably, “too busy making a living ~ to have time to make a life”

It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a way for ordinary families to become extraordinarily wealthy, to become Self Made Millionaires. There is a way!

Think about this: every hour over 40 is an investment in your future. In fact, you can tell where you’re going to be in five years by looking at how many hours over 40 you put in every week.

The average self-made millionaire in America today works 59 hours per week and some of them work 70 and 80 hours per week. The average self-made millionaire in America works six days per week rather than five and works longer days, as well. If you want to call a self-made millionaire, phone the office before normal working hours and after normal working hours. The self-made millionaire is usually there when the staff arrives and is still there when they leave.

And here’s the key: work all the time you work. When you work, don’t waste time. When you get in early, put your head down and get started immediately. When people want to talk to you, you excuse yourself and say, “I have to get back to work.”

Don’t drop off your dry cleaning, phone your friends, socialize with your coworkers or read the newspaper. Work all the time you work. Resolve today to develop the reputation for being the hardest working person in your company. This will bring you to the attention to the people who can help you faster than almost anything else you can do.

A Self Made Millionaire ENTREPRENEUR

Now this is a different breed altogether. An Entrepreneur has a completely different mindset to that of an Employee. Even though we may all start out as employees, it is the people with an Entrepreneurial Spirit who quickly realize that “Profits” are better than “Wages”. These are the people who do all of the things a good employee does as described above in their 40 hour a week J.O.B’s (Just Over Broke)!

However, the average family is about 2 months away from bankruptcy. Think about it for a moment and be honest. If you lost your job tomorrow and had no other source of income, how long could you truly manage to make your weekly and monthly financial commitments?

This is the scary statistic that is the cause of approximately 70,000 families a week starting a “Home Based Business”. They are all trying to create a secure financial future for their family. Unfortunately statistics also show us that 95% of these people fail within their first 45 days. Why is this so? Simple, it’s usually because they have never run a business before, they haven’t taken the time to develop the skill sets necessary to achieve success and they try to go it alone, without the back up of a support team.

Ask any Self Made Millionaire in fact any type of millionaire or even a billionaire and they will all tell you the same thing. They all have a great support team around them. Just ask Oprah! They delegate a lot of their work, they outsource, they have trainers, coaches, mentors, advisers…….whew all sounds a bit complicated doesn’t it? This is where the majority of “home businesses” fail and a vast number of people have heir dreams crushed. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Now with the latest technology at our fingertips and the Internet being the largest marketplace in the world, everyone with a computer and an Internet connection has the opportunity to run a multiple six figure business from their home. This can be done alongside your normal J.O.B. until such time as you have doubled your normal monthly income…..then the day has arrived when it’s time to tell your boss… “I’m sorry, I have to let you go!”

After having interviewed literally hundreds of potential entrepreneurs I have found that there are three categories:

Wannabees

People who choose something more or less randomly with a very low financial investment not really committing themselves.

They typically buy a book they can resell, or they will start typing ads or surveys from home. Programs typically costing less than $50 to get them going. If it doesn’t work, they will try something else. It’s hard to believe they will become successful but at the other end, they didn’t risk anything.

Scared

The sheer amount of possibilities and the enormous amounts of money apparently available in this market makes them scared. They give up before they even try because they believe everything is a scam anyway. They simply don’t want to make any changes to their current situation or life.

Committed Entrepreneurs

People who understand that there are indeed ultra smart ways of making a very good living online provided you do your homework and stay committed. Provided they are able to protect themselves from negative circles of influence, they are ready to investigate a serious opportunity as it presents itself. Existing home based entrepreneurs are happy to help these people as it will allow them to coach serious, next generation leaders building the foundation for a strong and dedicated community of entrepreneurs.

The information in this article is for the latter group of entrepreneurs.

New to Home Business?

If you plan to start a home based business for the first time, criteria 1-6 are most applicable to you. Your main concern is the level of support and training. Becoming your own boss for the next period in your life means that you have to start to think a little different about business. Be prepared to take personal responsibility for your actions and learn multiple tasks. Even some personal development might be required to become more effective and self-reliant.

Experienced in Home Business?

If you have been working out of your home once before but are in the process of changing, focus on criteria 7-9. You want to make sure that your efforts will pay off this time… You have a big advantage in terms of a much shorter learning curve and your developed sense for business working from home.

1-Company

Always select a company that really exists, with real people and that has been in business for at least 5 years:

– They have proven themselves in time and are likely to stay alive successfully.

– Most likely, they have been scrutinized and investigated by different bureaus and administrations and survived different levels of allegations. This is a natural filtering process that happens to any company with a certain size and functions like a filter. This filter always works and weeds out the illegitimate schemes and unsuccessful businesses. So use it to your advantage!

2-Products

These should be real and marketable. Pyramid schemes where only money is passed around are 100% illegal and cannot exist for a long time. Just be aware of them and avoid them. More over, make sure you are excited about the products yourself. Believe me it helps when talking to others and when overcoming obstacles!

3-Training

Step-by-step program works best with personal contact to your coach. This allows you to learn from the professionals and make corrections as you go. Make sure the business plan has been proven to work and is generating results for those following the steps. Ideally, the training system should help you to become a problem solver who can handle small obstacles with confidence.

4-Slightly Challenging

Important: if you select an extremely simple business like typing ads or filling questionnaires working from home, you cannot expect any great rewards. Anyone in the world can do this and most of it can be automated anyway at lowest cost. How motivated will you be after 3 weeks typing the same ads over and over again?

5-Longevity

You want to do something for a longer time, become a specialist and this way you make sure the opportunity remains challenging and motivating enough for you to stay involved and focused. There is nothing worse than having to restart your learning curve over and over again and not make any progress…

6-Team

You learn faster and stay motivated if you can interact with an enthusiastic team. Make sure the team works professionally and is ready to help. There is nothing worse than to work at home without any one to interact with for support.

7-Investment

Common question of many people: ‘how much should I invest’. Difficult to answer. Some of us invest in powerful computers and large desks while others use the kitchen table and a simple laptop. What is important here is the level of flexibility to be able to make your own business decisions. Being your own boss means that you make your own decisions.

8-MLM?

You decide! Multi-level marketing business has created successful companies and I do know people who have become extremely successful in this business. The fact is that for this type of business you need to be a very good sales guy. If, like myself, you are not, then keep your eyes open. Because there are opportunities out there that don’t require you to hard-sell anything!

9-Compensation

Last but not least, how do you get paid? In many cases there is a balance between profits on products sold and a rewards for building teams in the organization (creating some kind of leverage). Compensation plans can be very sophisticated. Bottom line: spend enough time to check it out and ensure that the compensation plan has been proven to work already over a period of at least 5 years. Also remember, these is no value in getting compensated solely for enrolling other people in a program. These plans cannot be sustained for a long time and they might be illegal as well in certain states.

Once you have chosen your business, congratulations! The groundwork is done. Treat your new venture as an aeroplane on the runway. Load it with fuel and go full throttle. Don’t hold back so you don’t crash at the end of the runway.

“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

Are some people just born to become successful entrepreneurs? Is success something that some lucky people achieve easily? You may sometimes wonder why some people seem to have all the luck in the world and become instantly successful in their internet business. Success may seem like its been given to them on a golden platter but in reality all online business success stories started with a formula. Let me share with you some common characteristics of successful online business owners.

They have the right attitude. Successful online entrepreneurs have a positive mindset. They are optimistic about the future of their business and are willing to take risks in order to succeed.

Successful entrepreneurs embrace failure. They are neither overwhelmed nor discouraged by failures. They see failures as opportunities to grow.

Successful online entrepreneurs are focused to their goal and that is to succeed!

Successful online entrepreneurs are innovative. They are always passionate about making a difference and establishing their uniqueness over competition.

Successful online entrepreneurs understand that great things can come from small beginnings. They do not worry about being a new player in the market and accept challenges as they come.

Successful online entrepreneurs put their best foot forward. They always give their best to all aspects of their online business and devote time and effort in ensuring their internet marketing success.

Developing a business requires a certain degree of risk. Succeeding in an online business takes time and some small failures at times. A positive mindset can make a lot of difference in ensuring your success in your online business. Failing or succeeding in an online business is not a consequence but a decision. Decide to be successful!